Mendocino Black Hawk Stout

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Dry Stout
Hopland, California USA

Pours black with just a hint of garnet highlights, when held up to light, and a frothy, tan head that laces nicely. The aroma is relatively simple but nice: dark roasted malt and light cream. Medium-bodied and creamy with a quick transition to a dry-roasted finish. The flavor is a solid roasted dark malt with a nice balance of light hop bitterness at the finish. True to the style, this is a fairly tasty dry stout, but I’m not really a huge fan of the style. The flavor is nice, but I have a hard time getting past the dry finish. I was actually left thirstier after finishing this beer than I was when I began drinking it.

Bottle. Pours a midnight black with a choocolate brown head. Aroma is toasty with a bit of coffee. Tasting, this beer is a tad bit on the lighter side of stouts. There is a toasted maltiness that you would expect but a bit more hop than usual. This is a stout I could drink all night.

Aroma of mildly toasted malt with some coffee and chocolate (almost burnt, not roasted, malt). Near opaque brown color with garnet hilites. The beige head left rapidly. Thin to medium in body, with mild, creamy carbonation. The flavor of burnt toast is not strong; it’s less than the old fashioned Guinness. On the other hand it is very dry, and the toasted aspect is persistent. It is smooth, and it is reasonably dry. It drinks well, and the toasted malt and chocolate carry into the finish. Just un soupçon of hop bitter.

This is a good dry stout. The appearance is not great: expected opaque black but with a thin, fizzy, dissipating head leaving no lacing. However, the aroma is a nice, soft coffee and chocolate blend, expected for the style, but rather rich and soft and not burnt. The palate is a little thin as is often the case for dry stouts but it and the flavour are still quite rich and complex for this style. It’s definitely chocolate and coffee, but these are smooth and married nicely, nothing tastes burnt, and the flavours are full and lasting, with some additional complexity and a nice sweet-bitter balance. The palate is smooth and lively for the style but also oddly fizzy.

Sampled at the Odds and Ends Tasting II on 10/19/07: This brew is a dark brown color with ruby edges. Medium light tan head that burns off steadily and thin rings of lacing. Toasted malt aroma with nuts and vanilla. Medium, smooth body with roasted malt, nut and mild hops flavors. The finish is short with roasted coffee and hops. Slightly above average overall.

I actually don’t hate on this too much as it has a bubblegum-like caramel flavor with a heavy metallic ring as far as the malts. The coffee-like nature is here but I thing the hops need to be toned down slightly as the bitter tones spoil what this could be besides a medium palate (turns dry) which could be creamier. I like how this one tastes when I burp it though.

pour is black with a touch of ruby, thin tan head that goes away rapidly. smell is weak, cocoa, roasted malts, coffee. taste is lively on the tongue, some chocolate, soda water, thin body for a stout, ends dry and slightly bitter.

not a bad stout..........a bit watery mouthfeel but fairly smooth. could use more roasted malts but its priced well and not a bad beer will try more for sure!